Lisa Field was manning the register at the back of the Sag Harbor Variety Store one recent Thursday afternoon when an old man, awkwardly holding a small piece of insulated fabric, approached the counter.

“Do you have any Velcro?” the man asked skeptically.

Without missing a beat, Field reached over to a shelf behind her and pulled on a large spool of the sticky material.

“Do you want sew-on?” she asked, holding it up.

The man looked down at the kidney-shaped piece of fabric lying limp in his hands, somewhat puzzled. “I don’t know what I want,” he admitted.

Field picked up the piece of fabric and ran a small, thumb-sized strip of Velcro along the ends of two flaps on the sides of what turned out to be a winter coat, sized perfectly for the man’s Jack Russell Terrier.

“I think you’re going to want to sew it on right here, so it will last,” she pointed. Then she measured a half-yard (the store’s minimum), which came out to $2.17.

The man only needed a fraction of that amount, but he seemed pleased nonetheless. “Now I’ve got 12 years’ worth of Velcro!”

According to Lisa Field, whose parents Phil and Roseann Bucking bought the Sag Harbor Variety store in 1970, this sort of exchange happens all the time.

“People come here expecting that we’re going to have what they want,” she said.

And while you might expect as much from a store founded on the concept being able to carry everything its customers might want (without getting luxurious), this local one-stop-shop is somewhat of a rarity. Take sewing notions and fabrics, for instance. Field said these items are one of the store’s biggest draws; not because they’re trendy or cutting edge, but because they’re basic. And “not many people sell those things anymore.”

The Variety Store harks back to a different time in American history; a time before the Internet and before big box stores, when populations of people congregated around their Main Street, which inevitably cut through the center of town, because that’s where they went for all the basic things they needed to survive: the grocery store, the hardware store, the Laundromat… the local Five and Dime.

Sag Harbor has seen many iterations of change over the years, economic shifts that — for better or worse — have changed the make-up of Main Street. And yet, 90 years after the first Five and Dime opened in Sag Harbor, the Variety Store remains remarkably the same. The front entrance is still marked by a mechanical pony, which still costs only 25 cents to ride, and on inside you’ll find the same configuration of aisle ways, even the same configuration of lampshades against the back wall that existed at least as far back as the 1950s.

Sag Harbor Village Mayor Brian Gilbride, who grew up in Sag Harbor, said he remembers the Variety Store from his youth, when it was more commonly called the Five and Ten and was owned by a Mr. Hansen.

“He had a little office upstairs where he could look out and make sure kids weren’t stealing anything,” Gilbride recalled with a chuckle.

Sag Harbor was different then, he said. Not only were there were more local businesses scattered throughout town, but they were an integral part of the community. Gilbride said he remembers when Mr. and Mrs. Korsak ran Korsak’s Deli on Madison Street where Cilantro’s is now (he still refers to it as Korsak’s), and when Stan Bubka ran the butcher shop close by.

“All that’s changed,” he added.

And while Gilbride said he believed Sag Harbor is weathering the current economic crisis relatively well, he recognized that family-run businesses have been largely affected by this change.

“The bigger chain stores are making it difficult for the mom and pops to survive.”

According to a Sag Harbor Express poll, 45 percent of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: I do most of my basic shopping on Main Street. This means less than 50 percent of the local population is estimated to be shopping locally on a regular basis.

“In my case, I’ll sometimes spend a little more money to stay right here in the village [to shop],” Gilbride added. “But, it’s hard for some people. Maybe when I fully retire I won’t be able to do that anymore, either. These are tough times.”

So far, the Variety Store seems relatively shielded from the current strain of closing businesses. According to that same Express poll, 89 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: I regularly shop at the Variety Store.

Perhaps the most important advantage the Variety Store has is that the Bucking family owns the building on Main Street where the Variety Store currently stands. It happened by chance, as Field tells it. Her parents only intended to purchase the business itself, because it was all they could afford. But, at the last minute, they struck a deal with the building’s owner, allowing them to pay for the property gradually over time.

“In hindsight,” Field continued, “had that not happened, we wouldn’t be here today.”

However, this doesn’t mean the shop is impervious to market conditions.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the store now, as Field sees it, is the notion that the Bay Street Theatre might leave the village of Sag Harbor.

“I think it could be devastating,” she said.

She compared the current climate in Sag Harbor — namely the worry over the potential loss of its arts institution — to the closing of the Bulova Watchcase Factory in 1981, which caused many permanent residents to move out of Sag Harbor to find work elsewhere.

Field said the store managed to recover quickly from those losses when — as luck would have it — the boom in the tourist industry swiftly took hold of the town.

“Thank God for the tourism!” Field exclaimed. “Because that’s what’s ridden us through [the tough economy].”

“Things go in cycles,” she continued.

For this reason, Field said she’s excited by the construction of the Bulova condos, because she imagines they’ll bring a whole new crop of people to the village. However, she realizes that the future of the Variety Store is dependent on a slew of competing forces.

While the store has managed to find success in the wake of big-box superstore Kmart opening up in Bridgehampton 12 years ago, shopping habits have changed dramatically since her family took over the business in 1970.

“It was a different time then,” she said. “If you needed something, you just went downtown to get it. Now, everyone can order things online — people don’t think anything of hopping in the car to drive to Riverhead to go load-up on stuff.”

This is a reality nearly every business owner on Main Street must contend with in some way.

However, as far as business owner Linda Sylvester — who owns Sylvester & Co. on Main Street directly across form the Variety Store — is concerned, stores like the Sag Harbor Variety have a great deal of staying power.

“The species as a whole remains constant, no matter how technology evolves,” she said. “Shopping is completely emotional, it’s social. I don’t think going to Walmart is very satisfying, even if it’s cheap.”

Shopping, she continued, is not just the accumulation of goods. It’s a chance to be a part of a community, to hear voices and engage in conversations — in a way, it’s also an adventure. As she sees it, not only does the Variety Store carry basic items needed to run a household, physically it’s a maze of shelves brimming with a discordant array of trinkets and oddities that trigger an emotional reaction in many of its customers.

“I think the Dime Store should be considered a shrine,” she mused. “People go there every day to worship at it.”

She continued, “The Dime Store is an example of what’s old is new again. There’s a certain amount of sustainability and humanness that’s lacking in the corporate world.”

In the grand scheme of things, she said Sag Harbor Village has managed to preserve a strong sense of community. But, as for what the future holds, Sylvester can see the balance potentially shifting.

“I think Sag Harbor has a longer run than most of the Hampton villages because so many people on Main Street own their own buildings,” Sylvester explained. “When that cycles out, Sag Harbor will go the way of East Hampton [Village]” — which is filled with Manhattan-based retailers, many of whom close-up shop in the winter months — “And that will be a sad day.”

Sag Harbor resident Eric Cohen believes Sag Harbor has already lost some of the character that made it so appealing when he and his wife, Bobbie, moved to the area in 1979.

“Bobbie and I came here because it was kind of funky and run-down, and we liked that feeling,” Cohen explained. “We didn’t want to be living in one of the flashy parts of the Hamptons.”

While he said Sag Harbor will probably never mirror the change he’s witnessed in East Hampton Village, he said he thinks Sag Harbor Village is beginning to become a version of that. Ultimately, he’s worried that the increasing cost to rent will start to drive more small business owners off Main Street, and that rising property values will pressure building owners to put their buildings up for sale and cash-out for hefty profits.

Field said she has no intentions of leaving Main Street, or changing the Variety Store. In fact, when asked whether or not she would consider selling her building, she grimaced — “I don’t even want to think about it!” she said.

“My earliest memories are of the store,” Field began. “I remember when I was 10, my brothers and I would go into the basement and mark the back-to-school items. And now my kids have all done that.”

Field has thee children, as well as nieces who have all worked at the store. She said she has no idea whether or not one of them will be so inclined to take-on the family business; but, she has no intention of going anywhere.

“As long as all the independent stores are here, I think that Sag Harbor will still have a vibrant Main Street and a good community,” she said. “Of course, 50 years from now, if we’re the only store here, it’s not going to be a vibrant Main Street.”

But Field chooses not to dwell on such things.

“In a perfect world, I’d keep the Variety Store open forever!” she said with a big grin. “And Conca D’Oro would be right across the street and the Wharf Shop would down the way… Because I think what we have is great. And, yeah, in a perfect world I’d keep it that way.”

When Greg Ferraris was a child, many storefronts in Sag Harbor were boarded shut. Economic activity was scarce beyond the day-to-day needs of the local community, and residents were less worried about what businesses would come to Sag Harbor than those that would not.

Throughout his life Ferraris watched as the village transformed, anchor stores taking root and art galleries popping up right and left, creating a vibrant, but local business community that was the envy of surrounding towns.

A certified public accountant with Banducci, Katz & Ferraris, Ferraris said in an interview last week that Sag Harbor’s downtown evolved based on what the residents and second homeowners — the market — needed. He added that as things continue to grow, the village will continue on that track.

“I love Sag Harbor the way it was 20 years ago,” said Ferraris. “I love what the village is today. It will constantly adapt. The Village of Sag Harbor is not Disneyland. We can’t control everything, and some changes will be for the better, some will be for the worse.”

For a community that is so protective of its identity, change has not always been embraced by the people of Sag Harbor.

In 2007, with CVS Pharmacy looking to take over a large building on Long Island Avenue, the Village of Sag Harbor set about revamping what was considered an antiquated zoning code to handle the changes looming over Sag Harbor.

Led by then Mayor Ferraris, former Deputy Mayor Tiffany Scarlato, former village attorney Anthony Tohill and environmental planning consultant Rich Warren, the new code aimed to keep Sag Harbor’s downtown the vibrant, unique, walking village it had become.

“We looked at exactly what Sag Harbor was — the demographics, the sizes of stores, the types of stores — and we wanted to ensure what existed then would exist 20 years down the road,” said Ferraris. “Different types of industries and uses could be adapted through the new code, but we wanted to ensure we were not going to have large box stores or one retail store come in and buy four or five businesses and combine them. We wanted to maintain a diversity of uses.”

In 2009, the village enacted its new zoning code.

According to village attorney Denise Schoen, some of the major changes involved preventing office uses on the ground floor in the village business district in an effort to promote retail uses. It also limited the expansion of stores to a maximum of 3,000 square-feet, with the exception of grocery stores, hardware stores or home furnishing outlets, which can petition the village to become larger. The table of uses — definitions of the kinds of stores in Sag Harbor — was also expanded to give the village more oversight on potentially damaging changes to the downtown.

A small office district was also created around the periphery of the village business district to provide a place for new office space.

Offices that already existed on first floors in 2009, as well as businesses above 3,000 square-feet, are considered pre-existing, non-conforming to the code. If they change uses, however, they would have to go before the village boards for approval.

The new code also streamlined the planning process for minor changes happening on Main Street.

Because Sag Harbor Village’s business district is in a historic district, the code also gave sweeping powers to the historic preservation and architectural review board (ARB) to ensure any visible changes were consistent with the overall character of the village.

The code was ultimately supported by much of the business community, as well as Save Sag Harbor — a not-for-profit organization that developed out of concern that large, formula businesses may come into Sag Harbor. However, three years later, as economics have begun to threaten some local businesses, Save Sag Harbor director Susan Mead last week said it might be worthwhile for the village to take a second look at the code.

“But the code revisions the village enacted were very well thought out,” said Mead. “Taking a second look at the code is probably of less importance than taking a look at a Main Street program, the kind that has been used across the country for 30 years.”

Mead said Save Sag Harbor, for its part, would explore creation of a revolving fund dedicated to helping local business thrive, and would possibly consider purchasing key Main Street real estate spaces. It is also looking at Main Street program models and may bring experts into the village for a community conversation.

“Ultimately it will come down to whether or not the general populace of Sag Harbor truly wants it to remain a unique village,” said Mead, “because for this to work it is going to take a lot of private dollars.”

Sag Harbor Village is not alone in its quest to maintain a vibrant business district, and many communities throughout the country have relied on similar ordinances and not-for-profit initiatives to protect their downtowns.

According to Andrea Dono with the National Trust’s Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. commercial district gentrification is when an economy changes and businesses become priced out of a market. What commonly happens, said Dono, is a commercial district suffers from vacant storefronts while landlords seek out businesses that can afford the higher cost of doing business.

“The smartest thing to do is to get property owners to understand that having a sustainable, stable and long-term tenant is a good tenant to have,” said Dono.

In Sag Harbor’s case, Dono said a Main Street program would probably focus on business retention, working with landlords, business owners and the community to make business stronger and more marketable. That way, when rent does rise, as it should in a strong economy, the businesses are able to afford the increases.

In order to start this kind of program, Dono said a market analysis is performed to determine who is using the downtown. It also seeks to discover if businesses are meeting consumer demand and what the overall competitive advantage the business district has over neighboring downtowns.

“Some of our more advanced programs have gotten into becoming non-profit real estate developers, which is excellent,” said Dono. “They develop economic development plans that determine what businesses are important to keep in a community, and what businesses are needed, so you have a clear idea of who you want to rent or sell a property to.”

Often, not-for-profit revolving funds are found in communities that need downtown revitalization.

In Galveston, Texas, the Galveston Historical Foundation created a revolving fund in the 1970s to save what executive director Dwayne Jones called “a declining, and pretty dead, business district.”

According to Jones, the foundation bought buildings in Galveston’s 12-block historic district, restored them and resold them to sensitive developers. Properties were generally sold with deed restrictions, he added, to ensure facades remained in keeping with Galveston’s historic aesthetic.

A case study closer to Sag Harbor Village is Nantucket, Massachusetts.

In Nantucket, the preservation of Main Street has come through a combination of planning and zoning ordinances as well as the work of a not-for-profit group, ReMain Nantucket.

ReMain Nantucket is a philanthropic organization established by Wendy Schmidt, president of the Schmidt Family Foundation, which, according to the organization’s charter, is“dedicated to strengthening the lasting economic, environmental, and social vitality of downtown Nantucket, while preserving its unique character and spirit.”

Focused on looking at transportation solutions, analyzing the downtown and its needs, addressing infrastructure and promoting and encouraging Nantucket’s historic ties to its waterfront, ReMain has also taken on development projects.

In 2007, it purchased Mitchell’s Book Corner in an effort to preserve a decades-old business and re-leased the property to Mary Jennings, a longtime employee of the store. ReMain also established a public-private partnership with the Nantucket Community School to bring adult education to Nantucket’s downtown.

Another not-for-profit, The Nantucket Dreamland Foundation, came together to save a local movie theatre, the Dreamland Theater. The foundation is dedicated to using the theatre space to show films year-round, as well as educational programs, and to showcase performing arts.

However, the work in Nantucket is not just limited to ReMain’s efforts. The Town of Nantucket has historically been committed to preservation, said Nantucket Planning Director Andrew Vorce. In the 1930s, Nantucket received one of the earliest historic district designations in the country, but in recent years the town has also worked to enact zoning provisions that protect the town’s character.

Zoning was first established in Nantucket in 1972, but Vorce said the building standards did not conform to what historically existed on Main Street. In 2003, the code was amended to reduce those standards so that every business owner was not sent to the zoning board of appeals for every application.

In 2006, Vorce said the town adopted a formula business exclusion district around Nantucket’s downtown. Vorce said that in Nantucket the law passed and was upheld in court because there are commercial areas outside of the historic downtown where chain stores are allowed, formula businesses could not argue that they were being kept entirely out of Nantucket.

“We wanted to focus on protecting the critical area and make sure there are other places for chain stores to go,” said Vorce.

According to the legislation, a formula business in Nantucket is defined as a type of retail sales establishment, restaurant, tavern, bar, or take-out food establishment that has 14 of its kind worldwide. It also has two features the town identified as being standard in a formula business, like trademark phrases, signs, standardized menus or uniforms and standardized design concepts.

Vorce noted that if a national chain created a non-standardized version of its store, they could be permitted into the historic business district.

Vorce said the decision to implement the legislation came after Nantucket residents watched as the downtown became geared toward luxury items. A Ralph Lauren store moving into an old weaver’s shop that had long supported local artisans was one of the canaries in the coal mine that led the town to look towards formula business restrictions.

According to former planning director John Pagini, the town also has been committed to regional transit and has also focused on affordable housing initiatives.

Vorce said the work of ReMain has been critical to preserving uses in the downtown that could not have survived the economics of Nantucket. Outside of the book store, Vorce said ReMain has also subsidized a music school and bakery in Nantucket.

“From a planning perspective, you want that mix of business in a downtown,” said Vorce. “It has been a wonderful gift.”

That being said, as Pagini noted, to a certain extent change is inevitable.

“It is something Nantucket has struggled with, but the market has determined what the character of uses are in the downtown, less so our zoning,” said Pagini. “Zoning and architectural controls preserve the façade, but it is the free market we are doing this under.”

Breckenridge, Colorado, perched in the mountains above Denver, faced another issue that planners in Sag Harbor Village tried to circumvent in the 2009 code revision — real estate offices dominating a downtown, taking away from the walk-ability of a village.

“We were really unhappy with how many real estate offices were occupying prime real estate in the downtown,” said Peter Grosshuesch, the manager of the town’s community development department.

Unlike Sag Harbor, Breckenridge was unsuccessful in banning offices on first floors. Grosshuesch said the town was eventually successful in prohibiting residential first floors in the downtown unless they met a 40-foot setback to the street. The town also brought in retailing experts and focused on the curb appeal of storefronts and the downtown in general.

As for formula businesses, while they are not outlawed in Breckenridge, Grosshuesch said they are not exactly welcomed with open arms.

“It’s not a written policy, but the town council has never lifted a finger to help a national chain come in,” he said. “But there are some national chains, so it is not as if we are pure as the driven snow.”

While a Main Street program is possible in Sag Harbor Village, whether or not formula based restrictions will apply is unclear.

John Nolan, a Pace Law School professor said that zoning requirements have to further the public health, safety and welfare of a community in a specific way. It could be argued that it would be difficult to tie a formula business restriction to furthering the public health, safety and welfare of a village, he said.

“It cannot be done to thwart competition,” said Nolan. “If the objective is to keep local businesses in operation, that is different because you cannot use zoning to protect businesses from competition.”

Nolan did say if a municipality could show why public health, safety and welfare is tied to a formula business restriction, it could be successful.

Nolan said communities enacting this kind of regulation have to be wary of federal protection of interstate commerce, prohibiting local municipalities from enacting legislation that threatens interstate commerce.

According to planner Bill Spikowski, of Spikowski Planning Associates in Fort Meyers, Florida, the Village of Sag Harbor has already gone a long way in terms of its zoning code to protect its downtown.

Spikowski is an expert in form-based codes, which unlike the traditional Euclidian zoning, focuses on regulating the physical forms in a downtown to control development rather than try to control development by regulating uses.

“You want small spaces, you want them near the street, and you want parking on the street or behind a downtown,” said Spikowski.

Limiting the size of stores and having strict historic district design standards have traditionally kept out a lot of formula businesses, said Spikowski.

“Those are the things I would recommend if your village was not already doing it, so you may be in pretty good shape,” said Spikowski.

“I think it went far enough,” said Ferraris of Sag Harbor’s new zoning code. “It doesn’t place restrictions on property owners where they cannot use that property as an economic resource, but by limiting square footages you basically guarantee you will have these smaller shops in the future which in turn will restrict the possibility of national chains coming into Sag Harbor. That being said, there probably are spaces on Main Street that are enticing to a national retailer and if that should happen, it will happen.”

“I would say in my mind I consider the code a work in progress,” said current mayor Brian Gilbride. “To me, on Main Street, I can remember Ann Schiavoni being in Schiavoni’s Market, Marty’s Barbershop being where the produce area is now. I remember the Five and Dime when Mr. Hansen was there, and the Sag Harbor Pharmacy as a kid. So is Sag Harbor, changing? Yeah, but I believe Sag Harbor has survived.”

When the noon whistle blows in Sag Harbor today, it still signals the time of day. But hundreds of workers no longer spill out of the factories that once employed most of the able-bodied of Sag Harbor and hundreds more from neighboring villages.

There was Agawam Aircraft and Grumman Industries. The Bulova Watchcase Factory alone employed 700 on three shifts at its height. Today, the Bulova building is being renovated into luxury condominiums for a clientele that will spend a million dollars and more for one of the 65 condos or townhouses. Likely, according to most observers, these will be seasonal residents.

And they are expected to be a far cry from the blue collar men and women who worked on assembly lines or, like Sag Harbor Village Mayor Brian Gilbride, as a polisher, bringing up the luster in the watchcases that were the company’s hallmark.

Gilbride, a lifelong resident of the village, remembers 40 or 50 years ago how hundreds filled Main Street when the whistle blew. They jammed into restaurants and bars for lunch or went to Bohacks market to buy food for dinner. In those days, the factories provided a living for hundreds of working families.

“We were the unHampton factory town,” said Gilbride who acknowledges that Sag Harbor today is a long way from what it was when he worked polishing metals. “I bought my first piece of property to build a house for $2,500.”

Today, when he scans the latest home sales, he’s surprised by what he sees. Modest houses in the neighborhoods where he spent his youth are selling for $2 million and up.

“I ask myself, ‘Who’s living here?’” he said.

Who, indeed.

It is evident this changing population has had a dramatic impact on the goods and services available on Main Street. There is no shoe store, or even a place to get shoes repaired. Nor is there a dry cleaner or a tailor. Saloons like Sal & Joe’s, where thirsty factory workers bought pitchers of beer for 50 cents, now offer a more well-heeled crowd a smorgasbord of world-class dining choices.

BMWs are as common as Chevys and Lamborghinis or Ferraris prowl the village even in February. Gucci couture and mega yachts have made Sag Harbor a regular stop on their East Coast cruising schedule.

But consider this statistic as an indication of the impact of a changing demographic. In 2000, the total assessed value of all the real estate in the village was $46.6 million. Ten years later that number was $2.2 billion — yes, that’s billion.

Mayor Gilbride recalls he noticed a turning point when the waterfront began to change.

“As more people began to come in, the village became recognized as a great boating and sailing community,” said Gilbride.

“Pat Malloy’s docks (at Waterfront Marina adjacent to Long Wharf) began to grow. The marinas under the bridge in the cove began to grow,” said Gilbride. “And bigger boats began coming.”

Driving the local economy are not older families who have lived here for generations, nor the tourist who visits only during the summer, acknowledge local merchants — instead it is second-home-owners, those who live elsewhere, but spend weekends here all year, and a growing year-round population made up of transplanted New Yorkers.

“For me we don’t have the ‘during the week’ clients out here at all that we used to have,” said Nada Barry, proprietor of the Wharf Shop for the past 40 years. “Now it’s down to summers and weekends, a change within the community for everybody as far as purchasing.”

Jack Tagliasacchi, owner of Il Cappuccino restaurant and a founder of the local chamber of commerce, remembers a time, after the factories closed, when the village began to cast its fortunes toward tourism.

“We put a lot of effort into it,” he said.

And people began to come.

As many of the families who had relied on the factories for a living moved out of state to find work, “there was a kind of depression here,” he said. But as a result of the effort to attract visitors who appreciated the authenticity of the 19th century village, a change took hold.

“In the last decade a lot of new people started to move here,” said Tagliasacchi. “They were very attracted to the village. We noticed a new clientele in shops. They were looking for a better product, a nicer place.”

Many families who had owned homes in Sag Harbor for generations took advantage of rising real estate values, sold their homes and decamped to more affordable and temperate areas of the country — North Carolina, Delaware or Arizona.

At the same time, as Sag Harbor’s real estate revolution took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, smaller, locally-based real estate groups merged and were bought by national firms like Corcoran, Brown Harris Stevens and Sotheby’s. These companies saw an opportunity to create relationships with clients in other parts of the country, many of whom had primary homes in Manhattan and second homes in Palm Beach or Miami, who also wanted a third place in the Hamptons.

“Most of the sales today are coming from the Manhattan market,” said Robert Evjen, president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce and a broker at the local office of Prudential Douglas Elliman. “Easily much more than half the sales here are for vacation homes.”

Referring to the project at the Bulova building, Bridgehampton National Bank president Kevin O’Connor said in an interview he believes the units there will almost certainly not be for year-round residents.

“These are not primary home owners, or even second home owners,” he opined. “These are third and fourth home owners.”

A look at US Census data presents a picture of a village that continues to evolve, and a residential group far different than it was 40 years ago — or even 10 years ago.

One striking statistic shows there are fewer year round households in the village today. The 2010 census estimates a total of 958 households. Just 10 years prior, according to the census of 2000, there were 1,155, an approximately 17 percent difference.

We are also wealthier. In 2000, the median household income in the village was $52,275, by 2010, that had risen to $85,401. In the same time period the mean household earnings rose from $70, 452 to $131,023.

Individually, village residents in 2010 were higher earners than those who lived here in 2000. The median full time male employee’s salary went from $41,181 to $79,259, while his female counterpart’s median salary rose from $34,750 to 48,405.

In 2000, the family earning group that claimed the highest percentage of Sag Harbor residents was $50,000 to $74,999, where 30.4 percent of village families fell. Remarkably, in 2010, the largest number of families — 25.9 percent — fell in the highest earnings category, $200,000 and up.

And while the year-round population in the village may be decreasing, there is evidence the greater Sag Harbor area is growing with many of the same people who are affecting downtown.

“There is still a local real estate market,” said Ed Reale, the agent who manages the Sag Harbor office of Brown Harris Stevens, “but certainly most of our sales are coming from the New York market. And many are moving to spend most of their time here.”

One of the deciding factors is the quality of the schools, said both Reale and Evjen.

Sag Harbor School Board President Mary Anne Miller points to growing enrollment as an indicator of the changing population. Less than 10 years ago, she said, there were between 800 and 900 students enrolled in Sag Harbor schools, today enrollment is nearing 1,000. Many of them are from families who relocated here from the city, notes Miller, and they have certain expectations in a school.

She acknowledges that some are “public school phobic” — and may have moved here with the intention of sending their children to a local private school. But she adds that soon they learn Sag Harbor schools are particularly desirable. She points with pride to the fact 30 students from other districts have tuitioned into Sag Harbor this year.

The beauties and attractions of Sag Harbor — and its changing population — have not been lost on developers. Baron’s Cove, a ‘60s-style motel, is getting a makeover to become a luxury resort, and in two years tenants are expected to be moving into the Bulova building.

“The popularity of Sag Harbor continues to increase,” said David Kronman, spokesman for Cape Advisors, the Bulova project developers. “It’s one of the reasons we bought it in 2006.”

For some there is an exciting future ahead for the village, while for others the village is a victim of its own success.

“Honestly, it’s just like a child growing,” observed Mayor Gilbride. “Maybe the parent is not 100 percent happy about the attitude, but it’s how the child survives.”

I have been living on the East End for 25 years (I definitely do not qualify as a local, per se, but a transplant). I have an interesting perspective because I live in Hamptons Bays and operate cafes in the beautiful villages of Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Sag Harbor. I have, like most folks, witnessed the changes to the Main Streets in each of these villages during the past two decades. Some of the changes have been favorable and some unfavorable, depending upon who you speak with. At The Golden Pear we serve a blend of both local and summer residents and the local business communities. Over the coffee pots at the cafes we hear all kinds of interesting comments related to a myriad of issues from corporate national brands driving out local businesses to celebrity sightings on our Main Streets. I am fortunate to be able to operate my businesses here on the East End and enjoy my profession as a local business owner/operator.

My perspective is that there are many opposing interests involved in the changes seen on Main Street in Sag Harbor. First and foremost, folks must understand that free market principles are a constitutional right that must be balanced and regulated properly by the elected public officials. Folks need to express their interests and concerns to our elected officials so that they can do what they have been elected to do; represent the people (the residents and local business owners). If the elected officials determine a course of action that represents the folk’s legitimate concerns, that is a good thing and they should pass laws accordingly. However, if a citizen of the United States, with the means to purchase property for investment or residential purposes decides to come to our beautiful, quaint village to make a purchase, set up shop or become a landlord, we can only regulate that activity so much. Otherwise, we are asking our government to interfere in business in ways that may be unconstitutional and establish the initiation of a lawsuit against our government, which may not be a good thing.

Are rents increasing in Sag Harbor making it very difficult for locally owned and operated businesses to continue to make a profit? Absolutely! I for one am very concerned about the per square foot rent amount currently fluctuating and increasing on Main Street and Bay Street. However, there is a reason for this; the basic economic rule of supply and demand. Sag Harbor’s charm, history, beauty, culture and deep water access attracts folks from New York City, the surrounding metro area and from other ports of call. The demand for goods and services from the local and non-local folks has increased in Sag Harbor over the past 10 years. This “market” of customers is more affluent than ever (whether you like them or not), and they come to Sag Harbor and spend their hard earned dollars on Main Street and in the surrounding community. Has the number of visitors increased over the past 10 years? Probably. Has the average home value increased? Definitely. Have people sold their homes and buildings in Sag Harbor to “cash in” on these increases? Absolutely. And when an investor has paid a high price at the tail end the last real estate boom, will they try to get as much rent as possible? Of course. All of the villages on the East End have gone through very similar transactions and fluctuations over the past two decades. It has been a challenging time for locally owned and operated businesses, but we must persevere in our efforts to be successful at operating our businesses and preserve the culture of Main Street.

Our elected officials should be made aware of our concerns and act responsibly to preserve and protect our beautiful, historic buildings and warm, hospitable culture. Folks need to get involved by writing to our elected officials, attend relevant village board meetings, join the Chamber of Commerce, join SaveSagHarbor and write to The Sag Harbor Express. Local business owners have to be more savvy and try to negotiate better terms for their leases and determine what goods and services they can offer to make up for lost revenues to newer businesses and popular trends so they can remain here in Sag Harbor. I do not believe the village board’s powers should be expanded to include the approval of every business in Sag Harbor and the terms of their leases and rents. Although, they should be empowered to keep national, big box type stores out of our village, because those companies have an unfair advantage over the smaller, independent businesses that make Sag Harbor a great village. When a CVS purchases 5,000,000 bottles of shampoo and can sell them for much less than the local guy/gal who buys 500 a year, this is unfair and the local guy/gal needs some protection. The free market will correct any drastic spikes in rents and cycles of real estate and economic activities will affect the market going forward. We’re all in this together, so let’s keep the discussion and influence to our elected officials current and constitutional. Best wishes to all my fellow business operators and residents of Sag Harbor.

Keith Davis, Proprietor

The Golden Pear Cafes

Dear Editor:

Where Do I See Sag Harbor in the Next 10 Years?

Ten years ago we were just recovering from 9/11; in between we have experienced two wars, a housing boom and bust, and the Great Recession. Much can happen in 10 years but, as a new resident, here are a few hopes/predictions:

The Bulova Factory development will define the look of Main Street, substantially add to the tax base, and lead a recovery of the Village property market

• Long Wharf will be acquired by the Village and support the growth of a luxury yachting center on the East End

• Sag Harbor’s cultural position in the Hamptons will be stronger as a result of a long term solution to the location of the Bay Street Theatre, ideally including that other local icon, Sag Harbor Cinema.

• The redeveloped John Jermain Library will confirm the Village’s historical role as a center of literature in the region

• A refurbished American Hotel, without losing any of its charm, will become one of the Best Small Hotels in North America

To sum up, within 10 years, Sag Harbor will become one of the most desirable communities in which to live in the State of New York.

Geoffrey Milton

Sag Harbor

Dear Bryan,

When I decided to run for Trustee three years ago I had been thinking about what Sag Harbor might look like in the future. Considering that we have a mile square Village with a diverse and active population we should be able grow in a direction that reflects the balance of our community’s interest. When I began the project I thought about Sag Harbor like an English Garden that takes years to reach its full shape. It was a 50-year view but I guess it could be accelerated into a 10-year vision. At the time as an exercise I constructed my own “White Paper” to categorize areas I needed to learn more about, and explored specific areas that might need attention and development. I divided them as follows:

Infrastructure

Communication and education

Zoning

Housing

Business District

Traffic and Parking

Environmental impact

Health and Education

Environment

Parks and Recreation

Fire, Ambulance, and Police

Volunteer Agencies

The waterfront and its health is key to the well being of the Village. Because of this we can’t separate wastewater management, wetlands, and runoff. Increased incentives to reestablish tidal wetlands such as encouraging native plants along the shore, organic control of nitrogen runoff into the harbor, and the gradual upgrading of septic systems could be matter of fact a decade from now. Oyster beds will be dotted all through the coves and harbor, and as the eel grass returns so will the scallops. As road surfaces are replaced new technologies will increase the absorption of storm runoff. Perhaps fishermen will line up along the bridge as they did when I was a child as aquatic life returns.

An improved Village website and mailing list will create easier access to the Village Hall. Information and links to volunteer community organizations will be easily accessed. Updated information on healthcare benefits such as Medicare and preventive medicine seminars will be linked to the website. There will be downloads for maps and walks throughout Sag Harbor showing a series of walkways and bike paths. These maps will stretch from the Long Pond Greenbelt, through Mashashimuet Park, along a guided walk through the Historic District. It will wend its way through the Cilli Farm open space and nature trail into the railway path and connect up with a waterfront tour eventually ending at Havens Beach. The walks, bike routes, recreational areas, museums and parks will grow in both use and public awareness. The library will grow into an educational hub and resource for a rising year round population. Pierson will have established their Baccalaureate Program and students will have new choices of universities and scholarship.

The residents of the Bulova building and the increased retirement of second homeowners into the village will support shoppers in the business district. Safe bike routes throughout the village will encourage shared roadways and alternative transportation. A water taxi and improved county busses will link the Peconic towns of both the South and North Forks. Valet parking will begin to appear in the evenings during the summer months.

Bay Street Theater will develop into a performing Arts Center and Community Center. The programming will extend year round to include dance, music festivals, a wildlife film festival, a fringe theater festival, WPBB, and a writing/reading room.

The historic architecture of the village will stay intact but buildings will begin to incorporate new green technologies to reduce energy cost. Solar, wind and tidal generators will lay the seeds to the village forming its own power grid. The streets bordering the parking lot that runs behind the cinema will develop into a village square that will complement Long Wharf and Main Street. The informed plantings of variant species small trees will have grown and be diverse enough to resist beetle and disease invasions while providing more green foliage. Recycling will begin to be second nature to us and our consciousness about re-use will reflect the times, in a similar way that littering once prevalent throughout the countryside once was but has now nearly vanished.

The ambulance corps will incorporate new technologies and skilled training methods in urgent response crises. Careful planning and budgeting of the fire department will bring equipment into a single standard and upgraded, while trucks are refitted to control costs.

Housing will be readdressed throughout the village to once again consider the creation of two-family residences, auxiliary apartments and detached apartments will come into safety requirements, as affordability and work-force housing grows in importance.

All in all the same issues that exist today will continue 10 years from now, some will be moved forward some will linger in an unresolved limbo. Art versus architecture will continue to be debated, but in general I believe the village will continue to move toward being a vibrant hub of diversity in the make-up of its population and of ideas. Shops will continue to rotate owners and merchandise but Sag Harbor will remain unique on the East End as a community, creative and resistant to the forces that have turned so many Main Streets around the world into look alike clones of one another.

And finally if you wander down Main Street at 7a.m. the flowers will continue to be watered on the lampposts, the streets and sidewalks cleaned, the garbage removed, and the stage will be set for the day to begin by those most of us never see after 8 a.m.

Robby Stein

Sag Harbor

Dear Editor:

When I arrived in beautiful downtown Sag Harbor in November of 1948 the defense oriented manufacturing was over. Bulova was not making bomb sight parts. Agawam Aircraft was not producing parts for Grumman Aircraft and Eaton Engraving was no longer engraving reticles for the U.S. Navy. Our 1940s industrial revolution was over. Things were not good in town.

After a few years things came back to life and we experienced another industrial spurt. Our factories all became busy. Agawam was bought by Grumman, Bulova was busy making watch cases and two new facilities came on the scene: Sag Harbor Industries which made electronic coils and Rowe Industries who made hundreds of thousands of miniature electric motors. There were about 750 employees in our plants..

Things were good in our little blue collar village.

Whoa!, because of a series of mergers, acquistions and unionizations we lost most of our factories.

Through the formation of The Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce we went tourist.

The Whalers Festival, with local resident and friend John Steinbeck as its honorary chairman, became world famous.

During this period, Bulova was put on the market. Thirty years later (last year), after many trials and tribulations, it is now in the process of a massive rehab job by Cape Advisors. This is going to be a part of our future.

This is the future of Sag Harbor: second home-owners and we have become a tourist destination.

We now have HarborFrost in February and in the fall we celebrate HarborFest. Sag Harbor is in good shape and we are looking forward to our future.

We came up with a bumpersticker many years ago. Its message: “Do It In Sag Harbor.” You should.

Dave Lee

Sag Harbor

Dear Editor,

In response to your previous survey, I focused on the possible Bay Street Theatre – Pierson merger as a means to sustain the more intellectual and art-oriented status Sag Harbor has achieved over the years.

As far as the obvious, hopefully temporary, change the Sag Harbor retail community is facing, I perceive two main reasons: First and foremost the country’s general economic dilemma, secondly the inflationary raising of rents by greedy landlords (see Bay Street), resulting in a negative chain reaction harmful to the whole town. The wise choice would be to lower rents to attract more retail, thereby avoiding the influx of mega food and department stores already waiting in the wings. In short: I certainly don’t like this change and cannot believe anybody else could possibly do so. But I sincerely hope for a positive change in the end, of course only achievable with the help of the wealthiest in our midst, willing (and certainly able) to overcome their greed, thus furthering job-creating establishments. This, in turn, would result in an uphill chain reaction towards a balanced and healthy economy.

Wishfully thinking,

Barbara Lipman-Wulf

Sag Harbor

To the Editor,

It is so good that you have sent out a questionnaire requesting local residents’ responses. As a close neighbor to the Harbor Heights service station, on Route 114, I was disappointed that you didn’t mention [Editorial, “Birds of a Feather,” Sag Harbor Express, February 2, 2012] any of the physical renovations, Bulova Watchcase, Harbor Heights, the Library expansion, all of which affect the appearance and the quality of life in Sag Harbor.

I was not able to be in Sag Harbor last Tuesday for the Planning Board meeting about Harbor Heights. There is so much incorrect information about that project, that tries to disguise its size and true impact on my immediate neighborhood. Richard Warren has approved of the project as being a positive addition to the Village. This is a disgrace. It’s the currently accepted “GREED IS GOOD” that so many village property owners are in favor of.

In the January 26th issue, “Letters to the Editor,” Alison Bond writes about the removal of approximately 18 mature trees by the new owner of 36 Oakland. “It appears unlikely that the Village received her application for A Certificate of Appropriateness, as is customary for any property within the Historic District (see Village Codes Section #300-13.4 and #300.16)”

Is anyone in the current Village administration interested in preserving and maintaining the historic beauty of Sag Harbor? Surely, there should be several architects on the Architectural and Historical Review Board, not people who could possibly consider the 8 pump, 20 ft high, 24 ft x 102 ft canopy with enormous lights an appropriate addition to the historical neighborhood.

In your editorial you mention partnership and cooperation. You mention the need “to rally around community.” You end by saying “Community matters. So let’s make sure that it’s the people of Sag Harbor who, in the end, will decide what this place will be.”

Many of us are very concerned about what’s happening to Sag Harbor. We question so much of what is considered ‘appropriate’ by the various village boards. Richard Warren’s verdict (that this totally out of scale highway-size service station which will disturb so many of us, and create too much traffic and late evening noise and congestion,) is a good thing for Sag Harbor, is difficult to accept and is strongly questioned by many of us.

Sag Harbor Express editor Bryan Boyhan asked me to write a piece, because of my island-wide experience as a journalist, about whether there are other communities on Long Island which might provide pointers for Sag Harbor as the village faces a future that could change it from being the beautiful and diverse place it is and has been.

There are things that might be learned from Sea Cliff, the best preserved village in Nassau County, where intense development pressure has been ongoing for decades. And, there’s Greenport which has undergone a renaissance in recent years from being a somewhat down-in-the-dumps village to, as Forbes magazine described it last year, one of 11 “prettiest towns in America.”

The issues for Sag Harbor — due to it being in such close proximity to the luxury housing and business markets of the Hamptons — make for a complicated situation. One need only look a few miles down the road at what’s happened to East Hampton to see the threat. A place once heralded as being not just one of 11 prettiest communities but the most beautiful village in America is now a monument to gentrification. Its vacation-time scene, a version of a busy night on the Upper East Side, combines with high-end stores one after another: Ralph Lauren, Coach , Tiffany & Co., etc.

Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Sag Harbor village’s attorney, believes it’s been Sag Harbor that’s been — and needs to continue to be — “the model” for preservation on Long Island. The keys, he says, have been “citizen activism” and “public and private sector” efforts. Critical, too, has been having much of the village in a federally-recognized historic district, village boards including a “very strong Architectural Review Board,” and laws and regulations (such as limits on footprints of new businesses) aimed at Sag Harbor retaining its “unique character.”

There are parallels to this in Sea Cliff and Greenport.

Sea Cliff emerged from what was a Methodist campground in the 1870s. The faithful pitched tents on close-together sites surrounding a tabernacle. Those sites became the building lots on which Victorian and Gothic homes rose. This “small-lot, narrow road lay-out didn’t lend itself well to typical development,” Eric Swenson, executive director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, explained last week. Further, Sea Cliff was an “out-of-the-way place when post-World War II development” began in Nasau.

And, crucially, there’s been “civic activism” including through groups such as a Beautification Committee and a Landmarks Association. Governmental panels including an Architectural Review Board, too, have kept Sea Cliff as “a waterfront community of older homes with many artists and writers like Sag Harbor.”

In Greenport, Village Clerk Sylvia Pirillo also cited “civic activism and political leadership” for the village’s rebirth. Much credit for the “huge changes” that have come about is owed, she said, to former Mayor David Kapell and the “follow-through” by the current mayor, David Nyce. A renovated marina and attractive waterfront park — featuring an antique carousel — have become the centerpiece of Greenport.

Businesses are locally owned. And Greenport, too, has a federally-recognized historic district and a mobilized citizenry including those working through an Historic Preservation Committee. “We’ve done all that and kept our quaint aura,” said Ms. Pirillo.

The threats to Sag Harbor have been building for years. I recall Arthur Spitz, a former village trustee related to my family, telling me in the 1970s that Sag Harbor was “off-the-beaten path” and this provided protection. No longer. The “Un-Hampton?” So far but…

“Saving Sag Harbor” was the title of a 2008 hour-long TV program I did for WVVH-TV. I open it standing on Main Street saying the Suffolk Planning Department had in the ‘70s issued a report noting that Sag Harbor “is as much a part of the national scene as the French Quarter in New Orleans or Greenwich Village in New York City.” Now threats to the nature of the village “have been getting so serious,” I go on. The program can be viewed online on youtube.com. Just Google my name and Saving Saving Harbor or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daeKlZV5MEo

I interview Stephen Longmire whose book, Keeping Time in Sag Harbor, had just been published, along with leaders of the then newly-formed organization Save Sag Harbor, as well as people at a gathering at Bay Street Theatre it organized. The meeting featured representatives of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Folks interviewed emphasize, among other things, the importance of patronizing local businesses to keep them healthy.

What’s the future for Sag Harbor? The prospects can be good but needed will be the continuation of what seems to be the common successful Long Island recipe for preservation — civic activism and initiatives by the village government and business community — and this being done ever more intensely to meet the yet heightened threat.

]]>http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/suffolk-close-up/lessons-16324/feed0Debating the Nature of Changehttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/special-issue/debating-the-nature-of-change-16322
http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/special-issue/debating-the-nature-of-change-16322#commentsThu, 16 Feb 2012 19:28:55 +0000The Sag Harbor Expresshttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/?p=16322Recently, the Sag Harbor Express sat down with a group of businessmen and women in Sag Harbor to discuss the changes they see going on in the village, the role communities should play in directing the course the business district takes in the future and the struggles of doing business here. The group included shopkeepers who own their building, shopkeepers who rent their space, and landlords. They are: Nada Barry, owner of the Wharf Shop and the space it is housed in; Tora Matsuoka and Jeff Resnick, co-owners of Sen and Phao restaurant who also own the Sen building and rent space in the Phao building; Charline Spektor, owner of BookHampton who rents space in all three villages on the South Fork; Hal Zwick, the former owner of BookHampton and the Paradise building and currently a commercial real estate broker on the East End; Herb Hellman, former owner of the building that houses Provisions and the now vacant storefronts recently occupied by Whalers Cleaners, the Ice Cream Club and Vincenzo’s Pizza; Robert Evjen, Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce president, real estate broker and former owner of a Main Street business; David Brogna, co-owner of In Home as well as the building it’s in.

Express: We see a number of vacant storefronts on Main Street right now, and there’s been a lot of talk recently about how Sag Harbor is changing and higher end stores are coming in. So what’s wrong with letting the free market determine the future of Sag Harbor?

Herb Hellman: The term free market has to be defined. Its principles are what this country is built on. The real question to me is what is the role of government in a free market system? There is a real role for government. Government has to take care of the health, the safety, the environmental concerns, the welfare concerns, traffic, congestion — even in a historically designated section of the town to set the architectural patterns and standards for builders, for owners. But where does it stop? Once the government has fulfilled its mission of providing for the general welfare and safety and health of the community, at what point do we allow consumers to come in and say “I want a high end clothing store” or “I want a restaurant?”

The community can set the breadth of the commercial district. But having set the breadth of the commercial district, having set the maximum square footage for any use, having set the standards for cleanliness, for health — at that point should the government or municipality be free to say “Well, I like this coffee company versus that coffee company,” or “this restaurant versus a national restaurant?” If we say “I don’t like national tenants,” look around town. Capital One, they have 10,000 locations. Are they a national tenant? If you allow one national tenant in, why not another? The point being is at what point does the government’s or municipality’s jurisdiction and prerogative end and the consumer’s prerogative to get the best goods and services at the best prices, when does that take over? That’s the dilemma.

Express: Robert, you deal a lot with government here, how would you answer that?

Robert Evjen: I think it’s a fine line, or a balance the village is trying to maintain. I call it managed growth. Through the boards — zoning, ARB — they try to manage growth here in a way that maintains the character of the village while allowing some free market activities to go on. I would say there’s always a push and pull. A tug between national chains wanting to come in and the village looking at the impact overall. It’s a fine line.

Hal Zwick: In my work across all the villages from the commercial real estate perspective, basically it’s changed drastically over the past five years. Before the recession there was a major push of national retailers coming in and then things slowed down. In the last few years tenants have had more say and more flexibility. But there’s been a major change since last summer though, from September on, based on supply and demand. It’s what’s enforcing the marketplace now. There are about 25 national chains that want to come into the Hamptons. They put the Hamptons on hold during the recession. Now they want to come in. In East Hampton, where I do a lot of work, a lot of people are coming in, the landlords are in charge again and places are leasing.

When people call to say I’d like to come to see East Hampton or Southampton, I tell them the going rate on cost per square foot and they say, “No. Based on seasonality we can’t afford that.” So I say, “You can go to Bridgehampton or Sag Harbor and pay half of East Hampton.” They say, “We don’t feel Bridgehampton is a real walking town. And Sag harbor we love but our community, as far as our like retailers, are not there.” I think that’s wrong on their part and that’s been the case until now. But I think that will change in the next year or so.

Express: Charline, you have stores in all three villages, I think you would have an interesting take on it.

Charline Spektor: I have a different perspective from a community organizer sense. When you’re speaking about free market and local government you also have to talk about community involvement and how the community benefits. Government basically is a function of the community it’s in. It’s the function of the community to put the government in place. People have to make themselves heard when voting and when they’re choosing representatives. But the corollary to that is you get a community that allows national retailers to come in, and you lose the anchor to the community. I think that’s part of the concern that hasn’t been mentioned yet. Those people in — I don’t want to say mom and pop stores because that tends to underrate what they are – but local retailers. The local part is very important. It means all the dollars that are earned in that store go back into the community, and that doesn’t happen in national chains.

HH: But how do you define national chains? Ares some national chains OK and some not? A bank, Corcoran Real Estate? J. Crew?

CS: I don’t think the community should take action to keep national chains from coming in, I think the community should take a look at the cost of having national chains come in.

RE: You go to Capital One or one of the other so-called “chains” in Sag Harbor, all the employees are local people. It’s almost like walking into a local store.

CS: In East Hampton we, meaning BookHampton, set up a program called “Come Home to Main Street.” We invited all the shops on Main Street to participate with us and promoted it up and down Long Island and Manhattan to get people from the holidays forward to shop on Main Street. Everybody thought it was a great idea, only J. Crew couldn’t participate and Ralph Lauren couldn’t and all the nationally owned stores couldn’t participate.

RE: I think American Express, a national chain, sponsored a small shopping day on Saturdays. Most of the shops in Sag Harbor did very well that day. Here’s another case, there’s no Am Ex office here, but they’re using the brand of a national chain to promote local shops.

CS: Shoppers were buying books but not necessarily from Am Ex. You couldn’t discern.

HH: How do you institutionalize that? You can lobby, citizen groups can actively seek certain features for the local community. But I think the discussion is what is the role of government to initialize that, to codify that? Or are you saying the individuals as a voice should be able to speak up, but not necessarily have that voice in legislation. Municipalities, trustees are actually making those decisions.

CS: I’m a landlord too, but not here in Sag Harbor. The responsibility of being a landlord has dissipated into the ether. People see a huge opportunity to make money and no one can blame them. As a landlord I have some fiduciary responsibility to other people. In the overall picture the question is whether landlords can back off and say we want to keep the village the way it is. I don’t think it’s a government issue.

David Brogna: When I was in East Hampton, I was on the CAC when they were doing the replanning years ago. The only thing you can do as a government is limit the size of the shop and signage. That’s what the government can do, the municipality can do. Limit the size. This is what I teach. I’m a professor at FIT. All those chains have a footprint they must go in. If they can’t get that square footage they’re not going to come in. It’s the math.

HZ: New York State law says we can’t prevent a chain from coming in, but they have to abide by local zoning and signage.

Express: Short of rent control, should the landlords be compelled in some way to allow for affordable uses of their building? And the question is, what does affordable mean?

CS: I think the question is “What does compel mean?”

HH: To keep the village beautiful and vibrant if I’m going to be able to rent the place for a substantial amount of money, I can refurbish it to make it as consumer and tenant friendly as possible. It’s a benefit to the community. If I’m not getting the rents for it, I can’t put the money into it. Also in Sag Harbor, as a building owner, the sewer tax is disproportionately skewed against the landlord. It’s the commercial community subsidizing the residential community.

HZ: If you bought a building that’s a hundred years old, the amount of money required to put into that building, it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars just to bring it to code .

CS: No one compelled you to do that. You thought it would be a better investment than giving your money to JP Morgan. So no sympathy.

HZ: I didn’t know what the investment would be until I started the project.

NadaBarry: It gets down to our values. I’ll back most of what Charline has said. Where do we come from as the landlord, where do we come from within our community? We vote in our elected officials. How much are we participating and trying to steer them toward what we personally feel.

Express: Do you see anything regretful about where Sag Harbor has gotten to at this point?

NB: That’s a tough question, but no, in a sense. Because as years go by, you have to grow and you have to change to be economically viable. You don’t want to be stagnant. Where I do regret is seeing the vacancies that exist. I don’t know yet what will go in there. I also regret in a sense that costs of things have escalated and we have lost our basic population that we used to have. We used to have a very different population to purchase things.

Express: Why?

NB: Because all those people could sell their houses for a lot of money and move out of he area to the Carolinas to have a better lifestyle. For me we don’t have the “during the week” clients out here at all that we used to have. Now it’s down to summers and weekends, a change within the community for everybody as far as purchasing.

DB: I have a question. Our business, everyone says, is summer based. But coming from being a buyer at Macy’s years ago, there was a percentage you wanted for your Christmas season and the rest of the year. Interestingly enough, my “Christmas season” which is August, is exactly where it should be in relationship to how others operate — 45 percent in those three months, 55 percent in the off season. Is your business skewed that way?

Tora Matsuoka: It’s 60/40 for us.

Jeff Resnick: The weather has a big impact.

HH: I listen to you talk about limiting the size of stores as a methodology of keeping the character of the community. In a way, the community itself is forcing the price increase. Through part of our zoning jurisdiction we set the village business district. By not allowing the growth of that business district, we are allowing residential growth. More people are coming in to buy existing homes or build new homes. You don’t have to be an economist to realize we have a greater residential supply and limited, stagnated or decreasing commercial supply and it will increase prices.

We are forcing the supply in relation to demand, skewing it and forcing price increases. If we allow more commercial development prices would come down.

HZ: It’s supply and demand.

NB: But your residential has changed. You have more than half the people who aren’t here all year. The houses are only partially occupied and that has changed completely in this village.

Express: We have the census which shows there were 958 households in the village in 2010, and 1051 10 years ago. Just in that short period of time, the village has lost population. Jeff you’ve been here a long time. Do you see greater peaks in the summer in your business than you did earlier?

JR: It’s definitely grown, but the weather is a big factor. This winter is a little better, it’s so mild and there’s been no major storms. I’ve seen an increase in winter traffic. I started Superica in ‘91 and I’ve seen an increase in year round traffic.

Express: Robert, you had a store on Main Street didn’t you?

RE: We did, where Charline is now, and I’m so pleased she’s made that space a success. I think it’s part of the fabric of Sag Harbor, just like Bay Street [Theatre], Java Nation. That’s what makes us who we are. It’s an interesting phenomenon. I ran into Hal who I think just rented the former pizza place, what’s interesting, if you can speak of that Hal, the person coming in is not a chain. Do you know why they wanted to come here?

HZ: It’s individuals from the city and Europe — two sisters. They had purchased a house out here, and love it and wanted a lifestyle change. Basically I describe it as a mini Barefoot Contessa with take out and baked goods.

RE: Why Sag Harbor? She probably could have gone anywhere.

HZ: It was basically where wet use was available on Main Street. Literally there’s no wet use if you want a restaurant. There are none in East Hampton now. This one is the only in Sag Harbor now available.

RE: There’s a transition in Sag Harbor. It’s a different kind of mom or pop, or sole proprietorship.

HZ: I received 50 calls for that spot because of its value as a wet use. It’s also a discussion on economics. The owner [of the Ice Cream Club and Vincenzo’s] had worked hard for 12 or 13 years in his business. He’s upset it won’t continue as the same business. But he took their offer for his family. He worked hard and wanted to reap the rewards.

Express: But why are there so many empty storefronts?

JR: If it’s reasonably priced, it’ll rent.

HR: It’s the wet use.

HH: I used to own that building. The rents exceeded the use the building was put to in the form of the drycleaners. The cleaners could only earn a certain amount of money and the rent was disproportionately high to what he could bring in. It’s a great space and a great building. Another tenant coming in could be more productive for those rents. The rents have to be a percentage of your gross sales or you don’t make it.

DB: 10 percent.

HH: Part of the reason is demand for space is great, but the uses to which the building are placed are not productive. Others will come in and pay those high rents, but no one wants them in.

RE: Paying 10 times more changes the character of the village then.

HH: I’d say the businesses are more responsive to demands of consumers.

Express: As a result there now is no longer a drycleaners and one less pizza place.

CS: The bookstore has a unique position because our goods are fixed. And when you have a bakery or a pizza place or drycleaner or anything else, you have the ability to escalate the price. In Europe you can’t bring the price down on books. In America you can’t bring the price up on books. BookHampton is always valued as a very significant part of the community. I think what [my husband] Jeremy [Nussbaum] and I recognize is the value of a bookstore in a community — a bookstore can be the center of a community, as can a toy store, a hardware store and a drug store. The community forms around them and they become anchors. That’s where the community has to work together including the landlords. Once you strip that out … in East Hampton 15 years ago there was an epidemic of too many antique stores. They were selling things no one needed. We thought bookstores matter, drugstores matter, hardware stores matter. The things that form the community. The community needs to step forward, including the landlords, and say this village or any village is formed by the shops in it. If you don’t say that, little shops go and after that, the landlords can’t rent anymore, because what was cute about Sag Harbor, and what was nice about East Hampton is gone. As soon as people don’t shop there J. Crew and all the national chains will go also.

HZ: There are utilitarian reasons to come to the village, books, drugs, hardware. Once those evaporated, there was less and less traffic.

Express: We use East Hampton as the poster child for bad planning and evolution. The scenario you describe with Vincenzo’s and the drycleaners, it makes perfect sense to get what the market will bear. If they’re unable to pay what I’ll charge, someone else will. It’s a free market. What we have lost is a drycleaner and a pizza place, utility services in a community.

HZ: It’s the same rent, it was up to the seller of the business who would take the lease [at the Ice Cream Club and Vincenzo’s]. For personal reasons he sold with eight years left of the 20 year lease. It’s up to the seller of the business who would get it. The landlord had to approve i.t

HH: The cleaners is exactly the opposite situation. Which is [the Express’] point.

Express: The question is, is this the evolution of this village that is occurring? The base Nada had 20 years ago has disappeared. The reason they chose to cash in and sell their houses or because of the cost of living – they moved to a less expensive place. Is Sag Harbor on the same life arc as East Hampton?

NB: No, and yes.

Express: Is it inevitable that Sag Harbor becomes a luxury village?

TM: I don’t think so. When we went to the Sag Harbor Business Association meetings we talked about how Southampton and East Hampton had done studies, and many things were shown, but there was one element that was important to me. Jeff and I are restaurant owners, who both own and rent property. What made Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton more vibrant was the balance between wet and dry retail. It’s a very interesting phenomenon. The surf store across street comes up to us weekly in the summer and thanks us for being open. They do more sunglass sales after eight at night when you don’t need sunglasses than they do in the daytime. When later night businesses are open they keep people walking in the village. If there’s no theater or no wet retail what’s the point in being in a town after dark?

NB: We have benefited, those of us open late in summer. Some of us have been approached to sell our spaces for much more money, no doubt, than we’ll ever make as individuals. But because we have certain values or love this town we have refused to do it. The number of offers over 40 years, have been a few.

DB: Back to the other conversation about the stores and landlords talking. The community is really the important thing here. I tell this story. We’ll always hire local kids. One day one of the kids comes in and says “My mom bought that at Tanger.” I said “How much did your mom pay for that?” And his mom paid more there than we have it and you would’ve gotten your employee discounts. It’s not that they’ve been lost or moved. They’re not coming here first. You have to get the customer here first, it doesn’t’ matter landlord or store, then all those stores stay.

I never heard anything good about the drycleaner. But if people had gone there first, they would’ve had to be better. It was a last resort. It has to be the first resort.

HZ: Clothing was the first reason people went to Tanger. Then they started following for other things. Even local retailers, they’ll go to price check in Tanger and see customers there and get angry.

HH: There has to be a partnership between the community, the municipality and the landlords. They have to work together and they have to respect their distinct roles. The municipality can’t act like a landlord. Each has to respect their perspective and balance each other. What is the most significant reason the Hamptons has developed so well compared to other municipalities and areas — I was with Macy’s too, general council, and I did development work all over the country. What we did was all of Route 27 was designated highway business use. No retail clothing stores, no big box users, no bookstores. I owned a property across from King Kullen. Barnes and Noble bought that thinking they could get in. They tried. Southampton kept them out. I applauded it. By preventing sprawl along the highway that kept each village vibrant. Can you imagine what East Hampton, Southampton, Bridgehampton would look like if any use was permitted?

It’s a wonderful role for government. Then they’re working with the community. Then it comes to community groups, chambers of commerce, to create the kind of community they want. But each area has to respect their own jurisdiction.

Express – What you’re describing is three groups informally agreeing to behave in a certain way. How does that dynamic occur?

HH: Good leadership. I would say good communication, good chambers, community action groups. As a landlord, I have had many opportunities to rent to tenants I knew I’d have gotten good rents from — and they’d pay very high rents. But I’m a local guy, part of the community, I knew if I rented to this person I would’ve made a few extra dollars but when I walked down the street it would be awful.

CS: I think you hit on something important. When you say how to prevent Sag Harbor from being East Hampton. We have a wonderful landlord in East Hampton and couldn’t be happier. I think he’s civic minded, socially conscious and aware of the value of East Hampton and we are lucky. I think when we were on the other side of the street, we had the exact opposite experience. You can see what a mess it is over there, and our side and how wonderful [it is]. It’s very revealing. When a landlord feels part of the community then you get one that flourishes. When you have people come as outside investors and sit away from the neighborhood, it’s disastrous. It’s as simple as that. I don’t think the chamber of commerce is going to help.

DB: when we got our building Barry [the owner] said “I had a higher offer but we held out for you” because he had worked in it as a kid when it was a store and [he said] “You’re going to restore it to be a store again. I am sixth generation and I want a store back there, I want life back in that building.” That was his goal. [Macy’s chairman] Ed Finkelstein said, “We do what we do best. That’s what we do.” We as storeowners have to do what we can do best. I run the best store I can. Lisa [Field] from the Variety Store and I talk all the time. People come in to her and say, ‘When CVS comes in you’ll be out of business.” I told her this is what you say — “Do you think I’m that bad a merchant?” We do what we do best.

Express: What kind of businesses will thrive and what types will have the greatest challenges in the next five to 10 years. What is the community here? Is it different than it was 25 years ago? What is this community looking for?

DB: A men’s store.

NB: There’s no shoe store, which we used to have. If you have too many of the same shops you wonder how many of them are going to survive.

TM: Sag Harbor is a very unique town from the point of view of how it’s structured, all the building are small, you can see the water from Main Street, the yachts are here, this is a village.

HH: one question is the impact of [new condos being built at] Bulova and Bay [Theatre] Street leaving and the inevitability of Sag Harbor. It seems to me we’re sort of destined, unless we do what Charline says in a partnership way, for higher end uses.

Express: Is that good or bad?

HH: It’s neutral. It’s what the consumer wants. A store won’t survive if no one shops there. It’s the consumer that’s dictating what survives and what doesn’t survive.

Express: Is there an inevitability that we become higher end?

HZ: As someone involved in selling and leasing of commercial space, from what I’ve seen and calls I’m getting, it’s not necessarily the Ralph Laurens and Tiffany’s — they don’t feel they belong in Sag Harbor. But those smaller places with two or three stores in Manhattan, because rents are lower, those are the types more likely to come to Sag Harbor than very high-end chains.

HH: Government has set the limits of the size of stores in Sag Harbor. Space limits who can come in.

HZ: There’s been a reversal on that trend since the recession. Before people called and wanted 3,000 square feet. Now because of seasonability and overhead, 1,000 to 1,500 square feet is what people want from national chains. That’s a reversal, it’s because of the overhead and they can get inventory in easily, and because from September 15 to May 15 the only people in those very high end stores are the employees. I had a 1,500 square foot store available in East Hampton — 15 people wanted it and it got asking price.

HH: Tiffany’s or Cartier’s only need one flagship in the Hamptons.

CS: I think what’s working against our villages is the fact it’s very difficult to be a local person and open a business. It’s financial. You need money to start and you can’t find enough friends who want to use their credit card. Banks won’t give you a loan. How many local businesses submitted out of those 15?

HH: None.

CS: It’s hard for mom and pops to start. Where change is needed it’s when someone’s willing to say we will work with you in the first three years of the lease or work with you by pulling out of your adjusted gross. It’s important. But when people are real estate brokers and looking to make a commission on the rent, nothing personal, but it’s not in their interest to look and see how the landlord might subsidize a tenant.

Express: What is a mom and pop store? Have we redefined it?

TM: I think mom and pop has a negative conation. Jeff and I are working to open a New York City restaurant. There are 10 million people at any one time there. The business model there is a little different. Even though it slows a little in the summer, all of Manhattan doesn’t go on vacation. Restaurateurs say sales can take anywhere from a 10 to 20 percent dip. In the Hamptons we do 60 percent in summer months if we’re lucky. Sales from August to October, drop 75 percent. There’s a 50 percent drop the first month then there’s another 50 percent drop in that in the next month.

When you’re operating a business that has to drop that quickly — 50 percent in one month, 50 percent in another — the rent doesn’t go down like that. The point I’m trying to make is that to work in this broken model, you have to be a good operator. That almost conflicts with the idea of mom and pop. I don’t consider myself mom and pop – I like the word independent. My father, who I bought his shares out, he’s mom and pop. My dad woke up every morning at 5 a.m. for his business. The problem is, it’s not just about hard work anymore, it’s about smart work. Where he and I and our ideals clashed were where changes needed to be made and we couldn’t operate our business the same way as we did 20 years ago. Rents are twice as much, taxes are higher, it’s impossible to find great help. You can’t find 16 year old kids willing to work at $8 for 15 hours straight. It doesn’t exist. You can’t attract high end talent to live in the Hamptons and work long hours when they’ll be sitting around eight months a year wishing they were back in Manhattan..

RE: It’s also impossible to house help here in the summer.

NB: We have to hire locally and pay more money.

TM: Success in restaurants is based in consistency of food and product. That comes from having a well-trained staff that knows the product and interfaces well with guests. Our staff are the masters. If you fire them in September yes, you cut expenses back, but in May everyone is fighting to find help. We like to say that the labor pool out here is shallow and murky. All of a sudden you damage yourself. Only way to maintain it is you have to retain staff and stay open for the guests who want to eat sushi. From October 1 to May 1 – we could close the doors, sit outside and every guest that comes up we could give them $50 and tell them to walk away. But we do it because we love this community we want to be here we want to support it.

Express: Was it always this way?

NB: It used to be a much more even situation year round. You weren’t relying on weekend homeowners. In summer we’re also relying on foreigners. That’s interesting given the economy in Europe. We are very attached to it in the summer months. What happens there.

DG: I just got back and it doesn’t look good.

TM: The idea of mom and pop and I’m going to do it all myself doesn’t work. The term “independent” is a broader scope — the building owner, with independents and government. The independent paradigm is where it’s going and will continue to go.

CS: Whatever you call yourself — mom and pop – if you’re tied to your own business that’s what it is. Another part is how you function in the community. It’s important with restaurants in the community, who eats there and how those dollars are made. There are huge variables. Your restaurant is a destination and people are going there to spend money. That’s their intent. That also changes a community. If you have Paradise when it was Paradise originally, it was food the whole community was going to eat. People at six in the evening with strollers — mom and pop as a commitment to bring families into the neighborhood and a permanence.

RE: Can we talk about Bulova for a second — it will bring in 65 plus families – a large percentage of the residential population in the village. The demographics of the buyers might change the way the village looks.

NB: How many of those will be here year round versus the percentage of summer or weekends?

Express: How does Sag Harbor compare healthwise to the other villages?

CS: It really holds its own. Sag Harbor’s great and it gets better and better. Southampton is rocking in the negative sense. It’s tricky in Southampton. The whole area has atrophied. The population has aged out and the new population is not shopping in the village. From my perspective of book store owner, Sag Harbor is not driven by the theater. Sag Harbor just has a tremendous vibrancy and an outstanding school. We benefit from that enormously. I think the value to the bookstore in Sag Harbor is that the education is phenomenal here.

Express: Does that also play into the clientele?

HH: The school is huge and plays into it.

TM: Right now 15 kids from Pierson Middle School learning about Asian studies are in Sen and my chefs are showing them how to cut fish to produce food.

CS: We benefit from every one of those Intel kids.

HH: As I say, I do a lot of this work nationally. I think the Hamptons has done a brilliant job in preserving its character. People who have lived here and seen the changes that have taken place over 20 years are somewhat demoralized, but look at the rest of the country. This community has done a brilliant job to maintain its character and quality of life through local people taking a serious interest. As we talk, clearly I think the partnership between various constituencies and fostering communication between public, private and government is really all we can do to protect Sag Harbor without any one sector taking control.

In general the Hamptons, and Sag Harbor specifically, I think you have to applaud the towns of Southampton and East Hampton. They have done tremendous favors to their local villages with a highway business district that’s preventing sprawl. That’s done more to preserve the character of the village than anything.

A few weeks ago, The Sag Harbor Express sent a survey to 2,000 people in the greater Sag Harbor community to gauge how the community feels about the current state of Sag Harbor Village. With a few empty storefronts and several construction projects in play, the village seems to be in a relative limbo, which prompted this overall question: How do you see the future of Sag Harbor?

The survey was composed of 19 questions, most with responses rated on a five-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree, and responders were invited to leave brief comments at the end. We received responses from 255 people in total. Here are the results:

While the community as a whole is divided over what the future will hold, one thing’s pretty clear: Sag Harbor Village is changing, and only 20 percent of responders agreed that these changes are a good thing.

For some, concerns over the village’s future are futile. A few responders respectfully questioned the need for this survey in the first place, and wrote: “Sag Harbor has changed for the better from the past,” and “Sag Harbor is, gratefully, no longer a small village.”

But, these sentiments were few and far between.

Many of those who responded wrote in with concerns that the community preserve the “character” of Sag Harbor Village, which for many people is manifest as Sag Harbor being the “un-Hampton” of the East End. For some it came down to more visceral characteristics: “soul,” “charm,” “small town feel,” “harmony and balance”—one said, simply, Sag Harbor is “special.”

Still, whether this “character” will remain seems uncertain. For some, the glass is half empty: “It’s terribly sad to see this village lose its heart.” While, for others, the future it optimistic: “I don’t mind change, but the flavor should stay.”

In fact, this community seems overall to be divided over the direction the village is headed. When asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the notion of Sag Harbor inevitably turning into a luxury village, 38 percent of responders agreed with that assessment versus the 41 percent who didn’t.

The one thing most responders did agree on (almost universally), however, was that the village offers a better balance of businesses than East Hampton Village. A strong 63 percent agreed that Sag Harbor Village is “well balanced,” while only 14 percent believed the same was true in East Hampton.

“Do not let Sag Harbor become East Hampton,” one responder wrote. “East Hampton is an example of what not to be,” wrote another. “Sag Harbor’s value is precisely that it is NOT East Hampton!”

However, the “affordability” of Main Street seems to be a topic that is not overly contentious one way or the other. About 46 percent of survey responders claimed to do most of their basic shopping on Main Street, with only 45 percent disagreeing with that statement.

Similarly, while 46 percent of respondents believe there is no place in Sag Harbor to buy an affordable lunch (15 percent of that number strongly agreeing with the statement), still 45 percent of the village disagreed. According to one person who disagreed with the statement: “One could buy an affordable lunch at a deli.”

And it doesn’t seem like the community, as a whole, wants the village to make efforts to embrace a more vibrant nightlife (43 percent agreed versus 44 percent who did not).

When it comes to guiding the village into the future, survey results show there is some contradiction within the community.

For the most part, survey responders feel the village businesses should have the freedom to charge what the market will bear for goods and services (56 percent agree or strongly agree).

However, most in the village are not willing to completely go all Ayn Rand: 56 percent of responders also disagreed with the statement that the free market should determine the future of Sag Harbor. And—even more significant—65 percent of those who responded agreed that building owners should be expected to take less than the market will bear for rental space, to encourage affordable businesses to stay downtown.

Many comments were very critical of the prospect of big box stores and larger retail chains coming in close proximity of Main Street Sag Harbor. While a solid 54 percent of responders disagreed with the statement: If a Target opened on Main Street I would shop there. A staggering 40 percent of all responders “strongly disagreed” with the statement—making the highest percentage of those who strongly disagreed to any question on the survey.

While most people (54%)decided that a “Mom and Pop” shop is any business that is family owned, 25 percent believe the definition falls more along the lines of any business that is owned by a local resident. Either way, 78 percent of responders believe this type of establishment is disappearing in Sag Harbor Village (versus 9 percent that claims it’s not).

In the end, a large majority of responders—69 percent—feel the village’s elected officials should take a more active role in reshaping Main Street. (Only 12 percent disagreed.)

“Leaders can use policy to do what the market can’t,” one wrote. And someone similarly added, “We need to come up with an urban plan!”

Because, in the end (in the words of another), “We get what we plan for and incentivize.”

]]>http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/special-issue/taking-a-pulse-16320/feed0Sag Harbor Future Shockhttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/point-of-view/sag-harbor-future-shock-16318
http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/point-of-view/sag-harbor-future-shock-16318#commentsThu, 16 Feb 2012 19:26:41 +0000The Sag Harbor Expresshttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/?p=16318The Village of Sag Harbor has managed to preserve its architecture and undeniable charm. But historic preservation, and a Main Street anchored with nostalgic uses like a Five and Dime, the independent movie theatre, a local pharmacy and the elegant American Hotel may prove to be less enduring as the village becomes a magnet for development.

Despite its somewhat cantankerous reputation, Sag Harbor is in the midst of some glamorous real estate make-overs. Recent projects include new condos, the overdue Bulova reconstruction, and extensive changes to Harbor Heights gas station. Whether development should be cheered or jeered seems to be a matter of perspective and contentious debate.

So why mess with success? And who has the right to stop free-market forces which drive changes on Main Street?

In truth, the appeal of the village is deeper than its building facades. There is still a tangible community fabric on Main Street, long gone from the larger neighboring towns. Sag Harbor shops and stores have an authentic vitality and collectively create a quirky local personality. The Kramoris Gallery, Sage Street Antiques, the shell store and stylish Ruby Beets tell you that Sag Harbor is unique. Restaurants range unpredictably from the American Hotel, Page and Paradise to the pizza store, the Corner Bar and Murphs, which still runs darts tournaments. The streetscape is an interesting place to be because it reflects a local economy. Sag Harbor conveys a sense of location, like no other place. Its community character, embodied in an economy of small stores, is undoubtedly more fragile than the appearance of its buildings.

Sag Harbor would not be the same place if local shops and small town uses were gradually erased by the sleek sameness of uniform, national formula stores. Without community will, a vigilant press and an alert local government, Main Street could easily morph into SoHo or Rodeo Drive, or any of a thousand upscale, featureless shopping streets visible across modern homogenized America.

Environmental protection is good for business. People and businesses are drawn to places which preserve their historic and aesthetic roots. Most people concede that it is wise to protect historic buildings and spaces from damaging physical changes. But progressive New York State environmental laws go considerably farther. Modern environmental protection includes less obvious and tangible aspects of the environment. Not only do we evaluate traffic and noise impacts, but also impacts on the quality of historic and neighborhood character. Aesthetic resources, too, are recognized for environmental protection. Even economic displacement resulting from development can be considered. A diverse local economy is a critical component of Sag Harbor’s character.

Those who claim that real estate development cannot be checked without tampering with the “free market,” place no economic value on the intangible parts of the environment. Instead, they exalt in the juggernaut, and smugly dismiss the inevitable loss of local stores and shops. “Goodbye cranky service, hello Starbucks and the Gap. Get over it.” Yet Main Street diversity creates Sag Harbor’s appealing character and personality. It contributes to appreciating real estate value. It deserves protection.

Protecting a diverse, authentic local economy is not impossible. It is not socialism or the elimination of competition. It just means that the planning process can legitimately review economic impacts on community character resulting from the intrusion on Main Street of national formula stores. For example, developers can lawfully be required to analyze economic impacts on Sag Harbor’s merchants and shops before decisions are made.

We would not permit a developer to damage a historic building in the interest of progress and profit. We should be equally unwilling to permit large uniform stores from damaging the array of small local businesses, which define Main Street.

Political power can balance the power of money and development. Strict planning requires community support. Residents must attend and speak out at public hearings. Political involvement is essential. Elected officials have to absorb the message that rigorous and expansive environmental review is the key to Sag Harbor’s preservation. The village must fairly and rigorously apply existing zoning rules. It must fight litigation brought by well-heeled developers. Eventually, the Sag Harbor will earn a reputation for mandating objective and meticulous environmental review. It is the only way it can chart a future based on local needs, not development dollars.

]]>http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/point-of-view/sag-harbor-future-shock-16318/feed1A Place in Timehttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/express-editorials/a-place-in-time-16316
http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/express-editorials/a-place-in-time-16316#commentsThu, 16 Feb 2012 19:24:28 +0000The Sag Harbor Expresshttp://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/?p=16316From our perch on Main Street, circa 2012, it seems evident that Sag Harbor is on the precipice of change. In addition to construction projects like a much needed library expansion and the conversion of the Bulova building into luxury condos, there are departures as well. The village’s cultural anchor, Bay Street Theatre, may bid adieu to Sag Harbor within the year, and there are a slew of vacant storefronts on Main Street where recently there were family run businesses.

So we’ve spent recent weeks pondering what this place is and what it’s destined to become. We’ve talked to shop owners, landlords, residents and elected officials. And while perspectives may vary, when it comes to Sag Harbor the one unifying message we’re getting is this: things are going to be okay.

Change is an inevitable part of life and this isn’t the first time the village has been through uncertain times, nor are these the most drastic examples of them. Consider what it was like to be tied to Sag Harbor’s primary industry in the 19th century —whaling — when it collapsed with the decimation of the species and the discovery of gold in California in 1849. And more than 100 years later, anyone who was living here in the 1980s will tell you, after the Bulova factory closed its doors Sag Harbor fell on pretty hard times, and stayed there until the next influx — tourists and second homeowners — revitalized this place.

There is an outward migration occurring now too. It’s endemic, not just in Sag Harbor but all over the East End where the cost of living is disproportionately high. Cheaper parts of the country beckon, especially to young people who can’t afford to settle here. But one of the other big reasons for the exodus from Sag Harbor is people cashing out. Residents who benefited from the influx of that wealthier demographic in the last 30 years and are now selling houses for $1 million that they bought half a century ago for $20,000.

While there has long been a sense of locals vs. newcomers, on Main Street, the fact is some older businesses wouldn’t be here today if newcomers hadn’t arrived to rejuvenate the village. Recognizing and adjusting to a changing market is the nature of being a good business person. But given the competition from outside the area, small town entrepreneurs can no longer operate under the assumption that being the only game in town is enough to carry them through. They need to be the best merchants they can be and give residents a reason to visit their stores first, not as a last resort. That’s what saves small town Main Street.

Yes, the cost of living and property values are extraordinarily high here and the wolf is at the gate in the form of high end chains that have utterly destroyed the character of East Hampton Village. But let’s keep it in perspective. Most communities in the country would kill to have Sag Harbor’s “problems.” And those who lament the situation here would do well to consider the alternative. In many cities in the Midwest, the jobs are long gone, the population has fled, schools are atrocious, neighborhoods are blighted and a large percentage of the houses are boarded up.

So now many wonder why Sag Harbor can’t just stay the way it is now. But the fact is, freezing a place in time isn’t possible — nor is it desirable. It may be feasible on a superficial level, but at what cost? Do we really want to be Disneyland?

There is no silver bullet to saving Sag Harbor, but one of the most intriguing ideas we came away with is the notion of true partnership between landlords, business owners, the municipality and residents. Its admittedly an idea made of gossamer —impossible to legislate and based entirely on the perceived moral responsibility that any one entity has in taking an active role to preserve what the majority want to see here. An ethereal something held together only by individual will and a sense of obligation and other intangibles that we all share. But the fact we share a vision is a start.

It’s a delicate thing that exists here at this moment in time. How do you make it stay? How do you make anything organic stay, be it true love or a perfect summer day? There’s no legislation for this kind of thing. It simply has to exist and be nurtured in the hearts of the people who live here.

During the course of his 14 years as the proprietor of Sag Harbor’s Ice Cream Club, and later the adjoining Vincenzo’s Pizza, Dan Salsedo was often the one found behind the counter of either business. He spent his days serving up frosty cones of mint chip and steaming slices of grandma-style pizza, occasionally taking a break on the Main Street bench just outside the doors of his businesses.

For the East Hampton resident, doing business in Sag Harbor in 2012 is quite a different situation than when he first started in the village over a decade ago. The expense and concurrently the demands on a business owner to thrive in a village that is growing and changing at an almost exponential rate are the main reasons Salsedo happily cashed out last year. He has sold his lease at 7 Main Street to a new business owner ready to roll up her sleeves in Sag Harbor.

Salsedo came to the Ice Cream Club in 1998 through his younger brother, Reno, who for many years ran the now shuttered Whalers Cleaners and Tailors just one door down from the ice cream parlor.

“My brother basically walked next door and asked George Sterling if he was interested in selling the business,” Salsedo remembered.

A handshake later, and Salsedo became the new owner of the Ice Cream Club.

“It was great,” said Salsedo. “Prices were not crazy like they are today. The rent was reasonable, you were able to make money, business was seasonal, but still good year round. It was a good village to do business in.”

After his younger brother failed to find success in a hot dog business next door, followed by a failed crepe store in the same location, about six years ago Salsedo opened Vincenzo’s Pizza.

Sag Harbor village has traditionally been a close knit community protective of its longtime local businesses. Salsedo felt the wrath of opening a competing pizza place to longtime village staple, Coca D’oro.

“I got a lot of heat in the beginning from the locals,” he remembered. “But after awhile, I got my feet on the ground, and a lot of people came to like my pizza. It did take a while though.”

Salsedo’s first true obstacles lay mostly with the Village of Sag Harbor, he remembered, who would not allow him to have seating in the pizza place. The village was so strict, Salsedo said he was fined for having a few stools for patrons along the small counter in the pizza place, which was not much larger than a small bedroom.

“They should have stood behind small businesses like blind justice,” said Salsedo. “We are working very hard to pay exorbitant rents in what is a seasonal economy. It is a beautiful, unique area, and I am so grateful to our customers — I thank them still — but come the winter it could be very difficult. Over 14 years, I watched a lot of small businesses come and go in Sag Harbor.”

Salsedo said that as time went on it became clear that unless you owned the building your business was in, operating a small business in Sag Harbor was going to be an uphill battle.

The 7 Main Street building, which includes the neighboring cleaners space (now for rent), Provisions and the former Style Bar is owned by the limited liability corporation Sag Harbor Pooh LLC, managed by Manhattan Skyline Management. Sag Harbor Pooh LLC is registered to Manhattan real estate developer Donald Zucker, who has several real estate properties in Sag Harbor, as well as East Hampton.

“It’s the landlords that are creating a rent explosion in Sag Harbor, and you can’t really blame them, they want to make their money too, but it makes it hard to do business,” said Salsedo. His last lease with Sag Harbor Pooh LLC was for $8,000 a month to run both the ice cream club and Vincenzo’s Pizza.

“When you are selling things for $2.75 an item, it’s hard to make a living,” added Salsedo.

Rent increases, he said, were gradual, but over time became impossible.

“You have to give people credit who stick it out and sit in there seven days a week, because you are married to the place in this kind of situation,” said Salsedo. “I was watching my kids grow up so fast and I always was at the store. I couldn’t go anywhere.”

Salsedo is grateful he was able to sell the lease on the business, cash out and move on, possibly to another food business after he takes the summer off and focuses on his family.

“I feel extremely fortunate,” he said. “I needed to start enjoying my life and my kids are getting older. This person who bought the store loves the store, is nice and the landlord approves of her. I hear she is going to renovate the place.”

That person is Livia Hegner, originally from Switzerland, who with the help of private chef Marianne Farrell, will open a store named Pepalejefa this summer.

The child of a diplomat, Hegner has traveled the world and cooked on several continents, with her professional life focused on hotel management, hospitality, arts and culture and culinary pursuits. Still working on her menu with Farrell and the overall concept of what will be a gourmet food shop offering to-go items for lunch and dinner, Hegner said she hopes to bring a European flavor to Pepalejefa with a modern twist.

“I just love coming here and going to the farm stands and fish shops and butchers,” said Hegner who has visited the East End regularly for 25 years and recently has moved to the village.

She said she hopes to use local products in the shop’s cuisine and that she was drawn to the village for its small town feel.

“I think one of the reasons I like Sag Harbor better than, let’s say East Hampton, is it is much more charming,” she said in an interview last week. “I love the fact that you can have Tiffany’s and Ralph Lauren in East Hampton, but that it is not in the community I have my shop.”